Okay . . . here's what you need to know. Babyshambles is the new band fronted
by Pete Doherty. Pete Doherty is the guy from the now defunct band The Libertines.
He's the guy that got kicked out of the band when he burgled another band
member's apartment to support his Crack and Heroin habits. He's also the
guy who's currently dating Kate Moss, and presumably gave her the drugs
she was photographed taking (she was in the recording studio with his band
when said photos were taken). Pete sleeps one night a week, gets arrested
a lot, beats people up, and is generally a fucking train wreck. I don't
know him personally, but that seems to be the consensus.

Now - and this is the important part for our purposes here - like most drugged
out train wreck musicians, Pete is making some really incredible music.
That last Libertines album was phenomenal, and this new album - like the
former, which was produced by Mick Jones of The Clash - might actually be
even better. It's got all the earmarks of a great album. Great lyrics, off-kilter
delivery, and a sound that's different but you can't pin down exactly why
it's different.

It's a little dark, a little hard to understand, and it's a little better
than anything currently on the U.S. pop charts. It's a shame that nobody's
heard of it here beyond "isn't that the album by the guy that was doing
drugs with Kate Moss?" In England, the second single "Fuck Forever"
went to #4 - can you imagine that happening here? Tipper Gore would drop
dead on the spot, and Brittany Spears' head would explode because she might
have to write something intelligent to keep her pop queen status. Oh well,
maybe some day.